PKL 9: Captain Fazel Atrachali stars in Puneri Paltan's victory over Bengal Warriors

Captain Fazel Atrachali led from the front with six tackle points as Puneri Paltan put up a spirited performance in the second half to register a hat-trick of wins in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9 after defeating Bengal Warriors 27-25 at the Shree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here on Friday.

While Atrachali excelled in defense, raider Aslam Inamdar starred in attack, scoring five points.

Maninder Singh effected a few raids as the Bengal Warriors took the lead at 6-5 in the 6th minute. However, Fazel Atrachali tackled Maninder soon after and levelled the scores at 6-6.

The Warriors were on the verge of getting All Out, but defender Girish Maruti Ernak and all-rounder Manoj Gowda came to the rescue and helped their team take the lead at 12-9 in the 14th minute. Aslam Inamdar found it difficult to breach the Warriors' defense unit as the side from Bengal led 15-11 at the end of the first half.

The Puneri Paltan played with more determination in the second half, but the Warriors managed to keep their noses in front at 17-15 in the 27th minute. However, Sombir tackled Shrikant Jadhav and Akash Shinde effected a raid soon after to level the scores at 17-17.

Both sides kept trading points before the Puneri Paltan tackled Rohit to inflict an All Out and take a big lead at 24-20. Fazel Atrachali also stepped up his game as the Puneri Paltan continued to stay ahead at 27-22 in the 39th minute.

Raider Mohit Goyat trod carefully and eventually closed out a comprehensive victory for the side from Pune.